Healthy kids = happy kids

A lot has changed at CI over the last year. And now, “contextualization” is the word of the day.

Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach to child sponsorship, we are offering programs to help improve the issues that kids in our communities face — which differ greatly from country to country. Now, we are focusing on four key outcomes: for CI kids to graduate healthy, educated, empowered and employed.

So, in honor of World Health Day, a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7, we want to give you a more in-depth look at our health initiatives.

Health and poverty are strongly linked. Health issues are often the factor plunging families into poverty. Plus, the conditions many kids face make them predisposed to health problems.

Teaching healthy behaviors is the key to preventing the common issues — ranging from malnutrition to illness to teen pregnancy — kids face in their communities. Our team members in the field know better than anyone what these challenges are. So, they’ve IDed priority health issues that could be greatly improved with more targeted, high-impact preventive health measures.

So, what are these issues? Click on your kid’s city to find out the priority health issue there, or check out all 15 locations below!

Barranquilla priority health issues

The two most pressing health issues for kids in Barranquilla and Cartagena are related to home life.

The two pressing health issues for CI kids in Barranquilla are interrelated: acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and malnutrition. These are directly related to conditions and behaviors in the home.

Our staff has developed “community clubs” to talk about proper hygiene and nutrition practices. A total of 60 clubs will meet once a week. Sessions are led by trained volunteers who also conduct home visits to support families in their attempts to make positive lifestyle and behavior changes.

Bicol priority health issues

Tuberculosis is common here due to poor hygiene.

Poor families are especially vulnerable to tuberculosis, a highly infectious disease, due to poor hygiene and close living quarters.

Through the soccer-themed “Kick TB” campaign for kids and the “Talk TB” campaign for teens, we’re combating the stigma of TB while creating awareness of its signs and symptoms and encouraging people to get tested. We're also training “treatment partners” who are matched with patients for the duration of their treatment, which takes months to be successful.

Cartagena priority health issues

20% of all pregnancies in Cartagena are girls 10–19.

Teen pregnancy tops the list of health priorities: 20 percent of all pregnancies in Cartagena are girls between the ages of 10 and 19 years old!

More than 700 members of our Youth Health Corps will be trained on a curriculum they will share with more than 35,000 peers. The plan includes electronic babies that youth tend to for three days to better understand the realities of child care. Another issue they'll be addressing through peer education is sanitation and hygiene education.

Delhi priority health issues

Regular visits to the doctor and dentist are a real struggle for families in poverty here.

Biannual treatment with antiparasite medication is a must for sponsored children and all family members. We’re also addressing the behaviors that lead to reinfection, including the importance of sanitation, handwashing, balanced nutrition, food safety and water purification.

Guadalajara priority health issues

Malnutrition is the top concern for kids in Mexico.

Did you know Mexico has the highest rate of childhood obesity in the world? The solution lies in education about better nutrition and food sources, which we're combining with medical checkups, meal planning with dieticians, physical activity and emotional support.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and oral health are other issues of concern, so our staff has also developed a plan to teach healthy behaviors that encourage better physical and dental care.

Guatemala City priority health issues

Guatemala has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in Latin America.

Teen pregnancy is at an all-time high in Guatemala. It affects children of every age due to the heavy burden it places on health and social services. Making matters worse, it also sends the message to younger children that teen pregnancy is normal and unavoidable.

Our YHC members are developing youth-friendly spaces in our community centers to give teens a safe place to learn about reproductive health and healthy lifestyles. The YHC also created a campaign to reach as many teens as possible through phones and media.

Guayaquil priority health issues

In Guayaquil, we’re combatting drug addiction and other risky behaviors.

Guayaquil staff has put the focus on deterring destructive teen behaviors. The city has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Ecuador, and the average age to try drugs is around 14 years.

By training more than 500 youth as peer educators, we can spread the word about reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases and the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. We’ll also use electronic babies, which teach youth the hard reality of caring for an infant. We anticipate reaching almost 30,000 young people with these critical messages!

Kolkata priority health issues

ARIs and diarrhea are directly related to improper hygiene and sanitation practices.

Our plan of attack involves one-on-one training with those who have been recently diagnosed with a respiratory infection. In addition, monthly meetings will teach kids aged 5–10 about the importance of handwashing and hygiene. At the end of training, we anticipate thousands of kids and their families will know to wash hands properly and drink and cook with safe water.

Little Rock priority health issues

In Arkansas, we're encouraging healthy living.

Improving “health literacy” was identified as a state-wide need in a 2014 report.

In Little Rock, we are educating sponsored families about basic health concepts through health fairs, inclusion of health information in the newsletter distributed to parents, lessons in schools, organization of fitness days and other healthy lifestyle-promotion events.

Lusaka priority health issues

The “Kick TB” campaign helps kids learn about and treat TB.

In Lusaka, the priority health issues are tuberculosis and ARIs. We’re mobilizing for change with the soccer-themed “Kick TB” campaign, which works through schools to help kids identify signs and symptoms of TB and get treatment without feeling stigmatized.

In addition, acute respiratory infections are the No. 1 reason kids come to CI clinics in Lusaka, so we've designed a program that will train more than 300 volunteers on proper hygiene and health practices to educate people on infection triggers to keep them healthy.

Manila priority health issues

150+ teens will share proper hygiene practices with their peers.

A lack of hygiene education leads to more illness and disease. So, we're training more than 150 Health Ambassadors about health, hygiene and safe water.

They will then share this knowledge with their communities. Through learning labs, activities, games and posters, they'll spread the world about the importance of handwashing, water safety and proper hygiene practices.

Quezon City priority health issues

CI volunteers will serve as “treatment partners” for TB patients.

Tuberculosis remains a serious public health issue throughout the nation. Poor families frequently fall into a “treatment gap” when it comes to diagnosing cases and providing appropriate care.

In coordination with the national and local governments, we're training 120 volunteers as “treatment partners.” They accompany patients from testing to diagnosis and throughout their care, ensuring they successfully complete treatment, which takes several months.

Quito priority health issues

Community gardens are just one part of our plan to boost nutritional health.

Malnutrition is a big concern in Quito. While our rehabilitation program already provides support to malnourished kids, we see a teachable moment in the making: more focused education for parents on how to avoid malnutrition altogether.

We've designed a series of educational sessions that teach parents important diet-related topics such as basic nutrition, healthy cooking, anemia prevention, nutritional needs at different ages, personal hygiene and clean water. Their kids will be weighed three times a year and monitored for signs of malnutrition. Our community gardens are also aiding in these efforts.

San Pedro Sula priority health issues

69% of CI kids in San Pedro Sula are still infected with parasites.

With 69 percent of CI kids still infected with parasites, we’re going to continue giving biannual doses of Albendozole each year (in April and September) to all kids, teens and family members. Staff will hold interactive workshops for moms in the community centers to promote parasite prevention.

Another issue they’ll address through these workshops is dental health — specifically, encouraging kids to get fluoride treatments.

Santo Domingo priority health issues

Improved hygiene could decrease illnesses by almost 50% in Santo Domingo!

The priority health issue in the D.R. is illness caused by poor hygiene. We've determined that better education on hygiene and handwashing could decrease cases of diarrhea, pneumonia and skin infections by almost 50 percent!

Our staff here has created an action plan for more than 150 volunteer mothers to be trained on proper hygiene and preventing parasites. Then they'll conduct monthly community workshops and home visits to share their knowledge. Plus, we're scheduling regular community cleanup drives and water-chlorination efforts that will make even more of an impact.